Orlando astrologer embroiled in nasty divorce

(Orange County Clerk of Court )

October 1, 2011|By Amy Pavuk, Orlando Sentinel

Could William Lamb have predicted this?

In March 2009, Orlando's nationally syndicated astrologer married Jehan Salih, a much-younger woman from the Philippines he met online, and eventually brought her to live with him in his downtown condo.

What happened next varies greatly depending on who's telling the story: Salih claims Lamb abused her and essentially made her a prisoner in their home. Lamb claims his new bride threatened to cut off his penis and kill him.

For her part, 31-year-old Salih says — in court documents — that Lamb wouldn't allow her leave the condo, wouldn't let her walk across the street to Lake Eola, threatened to have her deported and, most of the time, made her buy her own food.

But Lamb, known as "The Horoscope Man" to his radio audiences and fans, says Salih married him solely so she could come to the United States. He denies abusing Salih and claims he's the victim. The 67-year-old said Salih punched him in the head and was verbally abusive.

"I am in fear for my life," Lamb wrote in July when he filed an application for a domestic-violence injunction against Salih.

Racy details about the couple's relationship are laid out in a series of recent court filings, when each sought an injunction against the other, and Lamb filed for divorce.

Couple met online

Court documents filed last month by Salih's attorney, Michelle P. Smith, say Lamb and Salih met online in 2008 or 2009. Lamb courted Salih and eventually traveled to the Philippines.

There, he met Salih and her extended family. Court records said Lamb bought gifts for Salih's family, paid for her braces and proposed.

The couple married March 4, 2009, in a civil ceremony in Manila. Lamb returned to Florida, completed the immigration paperwork so his new bride could join him, and in February 2010, Lamb returned to the Philippines. The couple married a second time in an Islamic wedding.

Salih moved to Orlando and into Lamb's condo on Robinson Street. Lamb, who has lived in Central Florida since the mid-1980s, has been an astrologer for more than 30 years and has written a book.

According to his website, Lamb has been syndicated on more than two dozen radio stations across the country, including in Chicago, Salt Lake City and Boston, though he doesn't appear on all those stations today.

Once in Orlando, court records say, Salih cooked and cleaned for Lamb. She got a job at a local deli. Salih says she wasn't allowed to obtain a drivers license — a claim Lamb denies.

Salih said Lamb was verbally abusive and required her to stay in her bedroom except when she worked at the deli, he wanted dinner, or if they went somewhere together. In November, Salih said, Lamb pushed and slapped her, cursed at her and said he would call the police and they would send her back to the Philippines. Salih has since moved out of Lamb's condo.

"He constantly threatened and berated her," Smith wrote in a court filing. "He was violent and exploded at Ms. Salih, without warning."

Lamb denies claims

But Lamb disputes those allegations.

When asked whether he abused Salih or forced her to stay in his condo, Lamb told the Orlando Sentinel, "Absolutely not."

"She fraternized and married me in an attempt to get in this country," he said. "Her behavior has been very unacceptable."

Lamb said he thought Salih loved him.

"I was very proud that I had such a beautiful woman," he said.

Lamb said he bought Salih everything she needed and sent money to her family. He said he paid for her braces and traded in a Porsche for a car that Salih could use to learn to drive.

As for allegations that he forbid Salih from leaving the condo, Lamb said his estranged wife had a "tantrum" and locked herself in her room, darkening her window for days at a time.

"I was so concerned that she was inherently depressed; I did everything possible to try to help her," he told the Sentinel.

But Smith disputes Lamb's version of events, telling the Sentinel everything Salih said in her court filings is true.

"What he did to her is tantamount to indentured servitude," Smith said. "She's just a young lady who wouldn't hurt anybody."